Heavy Lifting to maintain muscle without compromising running progress?
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rileyleigh
Posts: 106 Member
Hey guys,
I have been lazy for some time now and find myself at a point where I have some weight loss needed. I have always chosen to exercise alongside calorie counting to give me a few extra calories during the day.
Running is my exercise of choice. I love it, it is my favorite exercise. I am concerned however about the dreaded "skinny fat" phenomenon. If I lose weight via calorie deficit obtained by running without heavy lifting, I may be losing muscle mass.
I'm looking for heavy lifting routines that you have found successful that will not compromise my running efforts (meaning light on the legs I suppose).
Also any recommendations on workouts that do not actually involve gym equipment would be even better as I do not currently have access to one.
Thanks!
I have been lazy for some time now and find myself at a point where I have some weight loss needed. I have always chosen to exercise alongside calorie counting to give me a few extra calories during the day.
Running is my exercise of choice. I love it, it is my favorite exercise. I am concerned however about the dreaded "skinny fat" phenomenon. If I lose weight via calorie deficit obtained by running without heavy lifting, I may be losing muscle mass.
I'm looking for heavy lifting routines that you have found successful that will not compromise my running efforts (meaning light on the legs I suppose).
Also any recommendations on workouts that do not actually involve gym equipment would be even better as I do not currently have access to one.
Thanks!
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Replies
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If you like running, just keep running and eat a little less, or eat the same and run a little more. Lifting is good for you but it's not magic. Runners are plenty lean. I lost weight just doing jazzercise and didn't get 'skinnyfat', just skinny. Just go slow with the weight loss.
If you WANT to lift, you can do a lot without a gym, if you have a bar and plates. I do deadlifts, squats, and sometimes overhead press.
Also want to put a plug in for yoga here. If you are wanting to build definition and strength in upper body, yoga is a good start, and all the stretching is good for mobility for running.0 -
I run and lift. I run 4 - 5 days a week and I am not skinny fat. Just the opposite. Running is must in my weekly routine.
The key is to separate your running and lifting. The next thing is while eating a deficit while running, lift and lift more so you keep your current muscle mass and up the protein to .8 to 1 gram / body weight. If you are new to lifting, newbies gainz are awesome.
And you still want to lift weights for the legs. This helps your running immensely!0 -
Right now I run 5 days a week and do Stronglifts 5x5 2 days. In the winter, I run 4 and lift 3. I just make sure I lift on rest or easy run days and always have one full rest day with nothing more than walking (usually after long run day). Right now I do SUN rest; MON AM lift, PM easy run; TUES run; WED run; THUR lift; FRI run; SAT long run.
Don't ignore legs - deadlifts & squats have really helped my running. Hills are so much easier now.
The Stronglifts routine I do now does involve equipment, but I've heard great things about bodyweight routines like NerdFitness, You Are Your Own Gym and Convict Conditioning.1 -
Right now I run 5 days a week and do Stronglifts 5x5 2 days. In the winter, I run 4 and lift 3. I just make sure I lift on rest or easy run days and always have one full rest day with nothing more than walking (usually after long run day). Right now I do SUN rest; MON AM lift, PM easy run; TUES run; WED run; THUR lift; FRI run; SAT long run.
Don't ignore legs - deadlifts & squats have really helped my running. Hills are so much easier now.
The Stronglifts routine I do now does involve equipment, but I've heard great things about bodyweight routines like NerdFitness, You Are Your Own Gym and Convict Conditioning.0 -
i'm a big fan of 5/3/1, and there are many ways to modify the program to 2-3 days a week, and being beneficial to your running.
don't worry too much about messing up your running, as the benefits will be very apparent in the beginning. as you progress in a year or so, you might notice your lifts aren't getting stronger and/or your running is not improving or even suffering. you'll know that at this point, you have probably reached the point where you can't improve on one without the other dwindling.0 -
Capt_Apollo wrote: »i'm a big fan of 5/3/1, and there are many ways to modify the program to 2-3 days a week, and being beneficial to your running.
don't worry too much about messing up your running, as the benefits will be very apparent in the beginning. as you progress in a year or so, you might notice your lifts aren't getting stronger and/or your running is not improving or even suffering. you'll know that at this point, you have probably reached the point where you can't improve on one without the other dwindling.
Do you run? I think you missed the point that running is essential! OP can do both with out compromising running or lifting. It will not take a year. Progressive lifting can still build muscle and strength and not compromise any running activities, actually you have the best of both worlds.0 -
OP, I run daily, and I have been neglecting to lift for the past year (prior to that I lifted at least a handful of times a week, just doing almost a circuit style training with 10-30 pound weights mostly). I will tell you, I was mostly injury free during that time, and my pace was better, after an initial adjustment period of course. The first few weeks you may need to scale back a little on your runs as you introduce weight training, but then you should be right back where you were, with more stamina for longer workouts, better support overall, and less injuries. Good luck!0
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Capt_Apollo wrote: »i'm a big fan of 5/3/1, and there are many ways to modify the program to 2-3 days a week, and being beneficial to your running.
don't worry too much about messing up your running, as the benefits will be very apparent in the beginning. as you progress in a year or so, you might notice your lifts aren't getting stronger and/or your running is not improving or even suffering. you'll know that at this point, you have probably reached the point where you can't improve on one without the other dwindling.
Do you run? I think you missed the point that running is essential! OP can do both with out compromising running or lifting. It will not take a year. Progressive lifting can still build muscle and strength and not compromise any running activities, actually you have the best of both worlds.
yes, i run. my strongest running has always been when i've incorporated lifting 2-3 times a week.
maybe i wasn't clear, but what i meant was that most people that begin lifting will see what is known as "newbie gains" immediately, however the steady increase in strength tends to taper off at about a year.
i completely agree with you that a progressive lifting program can and will build muscle while running.0 -
rileyleigh wrote: »Hey guys,
I have been lazy for some time now and find myself at a point where I have some weight loss needed. I have always chosen to exercise alongside calorie counting to give me a few extra calories during the day.
Running is my exercise of choice. I love it, it is my favorite exercise. I am concerned however about the dreaded "skinny fat" phenomenon. If I lose weight via calorie deficit obtained by running without heavy lifting, I may be losing muscle mass.
I'm looking for heavy lifting routines that you have found successful that will not compromise my running efforts (meaning light on the legs I suppose).
Also any recommendations on workouts that do not actually involve gym equipment would be even better as I do not currently have access to one.
Thanks!
Well you won't get into heavy lifting without equipment but you really just need a good resistance program to ensure you limit muscle loss.
Look at convict conditioning and you are your own gym.
If you get access to the equipment look at Stronglifts 5x5 as a beginner program since 5/3/1 is considered intermediate.
Only thing you will have to remember if you want to do running and resistance training is pick which one is most important and do that first....
For example my lifting is most important to me so I won't run on leg days and I run after I have done my other lifts such as benching.0 -
I run (beginner) and I started the Stronglifts 5x5 program about 3 weeks ago. You use a barbell and weights, which you can have at your home. I have found already that it is really helping with the running - my stamina has gotten a lot better and I just over feel better as well as getting some definition to my arms and legs.0
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I run and swim. I find the swimming maintains the lean muscle through repetitive light resistance. It also supports the core making your running motion more efficient! Then running helps my swim performance through the cardio and helping my body work efficiently when my heart rate is up and O2 is down! I swim 3000yds when I go and run 4.5 out of 5 miles on the treadmill. I up each of those monthly by 500yd and .5mi to push myself! One more week and I'll up it again!0
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I run 4 days a week, do core/full body lifting in the gym 2 days a week. In a month I will add another day of running. If you want to improve your running times, I would focus on weights in this order, Top priority: core. Second priority: legs. Third priority: upper body.0
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Thanks all! Good suggestions, appreciate your thoughts
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filovirus76 wrote: »I run 4 days a week, do core/full body lifting in the gym 2 days a week. In a month I will add another day of running. If you want to improve your running times, I would focus on weights in this order, Top priority: core. Second priority: legs. Third priority: upper body.
I didn't find that at all.
I lifted for 2 years doing only compound movement such as squats and bench press.
I ran last summer 3x a week and I found that the lifting helped with my breathing and a lot with my legs not getting tired at all ever...
doing compound lifts and running I feel is more important than focusing on core then legs.0 -
filovirus76 wrote: »I run 4 days a week, do core/full body lifting in the gym 2 days a week. In a month I will add another day of running. If you want to improve your running times, I would focus on weights in this order, Top priority: core. Second priority: legs. Third priority: upper body.
I didn't find that at all.
I lifted for 2 years doing only compound movement such as squats and bench press.
I ran last summer 3x a week and I found that the lifting helped with my breathing and a lot with my legs not getting tired at all ever...
doing compound lifts and running I feel is more important than focusing on core then legs.
Muscle is extra weight. Too much muscle up top will slow you down. 2 seconds per pound per mile. Hence the reason you never see bulky elite distance runners/cyclers.0 -
filovirus76 wrote: »filovirus76 wrote: »I run 4 days a week, do core/full body lifting in the gym 2 days a week. In a month I will add another day of running. If you want to improve your running times, I would focus on weights in this order, Top priority: core. Second priority: legs. Third priority: upper body.
I didn't find that at all.
I lifted for 2 years doing only compound movement such as squats and bench press.
I ran last summer 3x a week and I found that the lifting helped with my breathing and a lot with my legs not getting tired at all ever...
doing compound lifts and running I feel is more important than focusing on core then legs.
Muscle is extra weight. Too much muscle up top will slow you down. 2 seconds per pound per mile. Hence the reason you never see bulky elite distance runners/cyclers.
Really? I recomped from 165 to 172 via compound movements and my running got noticeably...noticeably better in one year. I was a much faster sprinter, distance improved immensely (especially my 10k) and was just an all around stronger runner. Who knew becoming a stronger runner would slow you down... #stumped.0 -
filovirus76 wrote: »filovirus76 wrote: »I run 4 days a week, do core/full body lifting in the gym 2 days a week. In a month I will add another day of running. If you want to improve your running times, I would focus on weights in this order, Top priority: core. Second priority: legs. Third priority: upper body.
I didn't find that at all.
I lifted for 2 years doing only compound movement such as squats and bench press.
I ran last summer 3x a week and I found that the lifting helped with my breathing and a lot with my legs not getting tired at all ever...
doing compound lifts and running I feel is more important than focusing on core then legs.
Muscle is extra weight. Too much muscle up top will slow you down. 2 seconds per pound per mile. Hence the reason you never see bulky elite distance runners/cyclers.
Really? I recomped from 165 to 172 and my running got noticeably...noticeably better in one year. I got faster, especially my 10k and was just an all around stronger runner. Who knew becoming a stronger runner would slow you down... #stumped.
Anacdotal evidence does not trump science. Most likely your cardio training increased your VO2 max and your lactic acid threshold.
I'm not arguing against compound lifts, except maybe bench press. All runners can and should be doing squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc. Core work is more than just mindless crunches/sit-ups. Burpees, planks, push-ups, lat pulldowns, overhead squats, farmer carries, TGUs, etc are all effective core work. But please help me understand your reasoning that bench press increases your VO intake.0 -
filovirus76 wrote: »filovirus76 wrote: »I run 4 days a week, do core/full body lifting in the gym 2 days a week. In a month I will add another day of running. If you want to improve your running times, I would focus on weights in this order, Top priority: core. Second priority: legs. Third priority: upper body.
I didn't find that at all.
I lifted for 2 years doing only compound movement such as squats and bench press.
I ran last summer 3x a week and I found that the lifting helped with my breathing and a lot with my legs not getting tired at all ever...
doing compound lifts and running I feel is more important than focusing on core then legs.
Muscle is extra weight. Too much muscle up top will slow you down. 2 seconds per pound per mile. Hence the reason you never see bulky elite distance runners/cyclers.
no one here that I am aware of is attempting to be an elite runner distance or otherwise....so there is that...
lifting using compound movements helps with running.0 -
I try to maintain a respectable race weight. OP mentioned that he/she doesn't want to lose running progress.filovirus76 wrote: »filovirus76 wrote: »I run 4 days a week, do core/full body lifting in the gym 2 days a week. In a month I will add another day of running. If you want to improve your running times, I would focus on weights in this order, Top priority: core. Second priority: legs. Third priority: upper body.
I didn't find that at all.
I lifted for 2 years doing only compound movement such as squats and bench press.
I ran last summer 3x a week and I found that the lifting helped with my breathing and a lot with my legs not getting tired at all ever...
doing compound lifts and running I feel is more important than focusing on core then legs.
Muscle is extra weight. Too much muscle up top will slow you down. 2 seconds per pound per mile. Hence the reason you never see bulky elite distance runners/cyclers.
no one here that I am aware of is attempting to be an elite runner distance or otherwise....so there is that...
lifting using compound movements helps with running.
There are people who are aware of weight and how it affects pace on this forum.
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filovirus76 wrote: »filovirus76 wrote: »filovirus76 wrote: »I run 4 days a week, do core/full body lifting in the gym 2 days a week. In a month I will add another day of running. If you want to improve your running times, I would focus on weights in this order, Top priority: core. Second priority: legs. Third priority: upper body.
I didn't find that at all.
I lifted for 2 years doing only compound movement such as squats and bench press.
I ran last summer 3x a week and I found that the lifting helped with my breathing and a lot with my legs not getting tired at all ever...
doing compound lifts and running I feel is more important than focusing on core then legs.
Muscle is extra weight. Too much muscle up top will slow you down. 2 seconds per pound per mile. Hence the reason you never see bulky elite distance runners/cyclers.
Really? I recomped from 165 to 172 and my running got noticeably...noticeably better in one year. I got faster, especially my 10k and was just an all around stronger runner. Who knew becoming a stronger runner would slow you down... #stumped.
Anacdotal evidence does not trump science. Most likely your cardio training increased your VO2 max and your lactic acid threshold.
I'm not arguing against compound lifts, except maybe bench press. All runners can and should be doing squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc. Core work is more than just mindless crunches/sit-ups. Burpees, planks, push-ups, lat pulldowns, overhead squats, farmer carries, TGUs, etc are all effective core work. But please help me understand your reasoning that bench press increases your VO intake.
I never said it did, you're singling out one exercise in an entire program. So sue me for wanting to be a well rounded athlete.
Anyhow....the OP is about being able to lift heavy to maintain muscle without compromising running performance. I recomped, so I added a few lbs of muscle (increasing race weight approx 6lbs) and my running, all around, improved and I became a stronger runner incorporating such lifting into my routine. I really noticed it in my sprinting, my "kick" and 10K vastly improved.0
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